5 Ways an Online Cybersecurity Certification Can Boost Your Career

The concept of upgrading skills without going full time has generated a lot of buzz. Simply search for “certifications in demand” in any search engine, and you will see enormous results in a fraction of a second. You will come across many certification programs belonging to different verticals, leaving you wondering how they can contribute to your career. There are many certifications that can give remarkable upliftment to your career. These certifications verify that you possess the knowledge/skills that would benefit an organization and can help you land a great job.
The field of cybersecurity has many such certifications; however, industry-recognized certification is the choice of most recruiters. But why is it that cybersecurity certifications have gained prominence in as much as it acting as an alternate educational system? There is absolutely no second thought about university degrees carrying more weight, but certification programs appear to be bringing a career boost in a shorter span. To elaborate, let us consider the possible reasons.

1. Skill Gap Brings Larger Career Prospects

Fifty-one percent of organizations agree that they are facing critical shortage of cybersecurity skills and the number is expected to rise every year [1].

Cybersecurity professionals are in high demand and companies report difficulty in recruiting the right talent, which has created ample space for anxiety among the recruiters. You must have already read the fact that the cybersecurity skill gap would be 3.5 million by 2021 because those with IT background are still not considering cybersecurity as a prospering career like IT [2].

To overcome the gap in cybersecurity talent, employers prefer to hire individuals that are certified with the required credentials such as Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH), Licensed Penetration Tester (L|PT) (Master), and the Certified Application Security Engineer (C|ASE). The certifications help candidates acquire the required skills in a shorter duration, thereby making them eligible to apply for a cybersecurity job profile. Because of the shrinking skill gap and rising demand, the salary of cybersecurity professionals is expected to increase steadily, signifying the importance of such certifications. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) reported that 94% of recruiters believe that cybersecurity roles will continue to pay more [3]. So, if you are considering a career in cybersecurity, you can opt for certification course that matches your existing career profile.

2. Cybersecurity Is a Field of Constant Change

Cybersecurity is a continuously changing field, which means that it constantly seeks improvised skills. The increased rate of cybercrimes and the sophisticated techniques of malicious hackers have led to the need for professionals possessing knowledge of latest tools and techniques. An online certification in cybersecurity can help the candidate upgrade to new skills with few hours of training. Candidates can also learn new technologies and appear for the exam while working in their existing job role.

Cybersecurity is an industry that is evolving and therefore needs a skilled and dynamic workforce to update regularly with the changing trends and new technologies.

3. Investment versus Earnings

When any candidate joins a cybersecurity certification program, the respective credential can be earned by investing a few hours of quality time, often resulting in an impressive pay package. Let us consider an example of a network engineer. The average annual salary of a network engineer profile with three years of experience is $67,176 [4]. When the candidate upgrades his or her profile to Certified Network Defender, the salary is expected to rise up to $94,000 and more, based on experience [5]. Overall, it is a benefit to the candidate, monetarily as well!

4. Learn Accredited Courses Online

Accreditation helps define your standard of education. Employers or recruiters show trust in your profile when your certification carries a specific accreditation. Many of the certified programs of EC-Council are accredited by American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ANSI is a private nonprofit organization that promotes conformity standards in the United States. ANSI signifies that a certification holder has obtained required knowledge and predefined skills to meet industry requirements.

The C|EH, among many other EC-Council programs, is accredited by ANSI, and therefore, it is one of the favorites among recruiters. LinkedIn itself had listed 6430 jobs for the post of a C|EH [6].

5. Instructor-Led Training Course Without Commuting

For an in-class training where you can interact directly with the trainer along with other fellow mates, you do not have to commute long distances. You can avail the same benefit with online training programs as offered by various institutes. EC-Council offers this benefit via iWeek, where the training program is conducted online in the presence of an instructor and other students in a prescheduled structure.

Cybersecurity Online Certifications from EC-Council

EC-Council is the leading information security certification body offering credentials in various cybersecurity domains. EC-Council has many cybersecurity programs that ensure industry-recognized credentials.

C|EH

C|EH is a comprehensively designed information security training program that will immerse you in the mindset of a hacker in an ethical way. C|EH is a recognized credential worldwide and is popular among recruiters. The course comes with 20 of the most current security domains and 340 latest attack technologies that are commonly used by hackers. The course is designed to offer 140 labs along with paid access to iLabs and 2200 commonly used hacking tools. The following five phases form part of the ethical hacking program: ethical hacking reconnaissance, gaining access, enumeration, maintaining access, and covering your tracks.

C|HFI

According to CRN (Computer Reseller News), Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (C|HFI) is one among the 10 most valuable cybersecurity certifications in the world in 2019, which can be obtained online [7]. The program offers a detailed methodological approach to computer forensic and evidence analysis used by the cyber-forensic industry. The certification provides necessary skill set for gathering evidence and identification of intruder’s footprints for the prosecution. The certification is of great significance among defense and military personnel, bankers, legal professionals, network security professionals, or anyone concerned with the computer and digital investigations.

C|CISO

Who doesn’t want to be CISO and being a C|CISO is a remarkable achievement. EC-Council’s Certified Chief Information Security Officer program has been supported by a core group of highly experienced information security executives and the C|CISO Advisory Board comprises quality assurance, authors, exam writers, and so on. Each segment of the program is developed with “CISO in the making” in mind. It is developed by sitting CISOs for current and aspiring CISOs. The C|CISO is an industry-leading program accredited by ANSI that recognizes real-world experience necessary to succeed at the highest executive levels of information security.